Europe Chart Pack Recovery slows and inflation turns negative The rebound phase has now come to an end. Retail sales declined in July and both the business surveys and high frequency data suggest that economic activity levelled off in August. Of course, the... 4th September 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Recovery on track after comparatively shallow slump Compared to many of the larger euro-zone countries, the coronavirus remains relatively well under control in the Nordic countries and Switzerland. With the exception of Denmark, there are at this... 13th August 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Growing risk of a second wave The economy is set to rebound strongly in the current quarter after its 12% slump in Q2, even if there is no further increase in GDP in August and September. Indeed, some of the high frequency data... 6th August 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Nordic economies outperforming the euro-zone The various high-frequency data series that we have been following in our Recovery Trackers have indicated that activity in the Nordic economies has picked up sharply over the past three months... 13th July 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Surge in bank lending unlikely to last Euro-zone bank lending growth has jumped in recent months, as firms borrowed to tide themselves over while their revenues collapsed during lockdown. (See Chart 1.) At the same time, banks’ willingness... 7th July 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Nordic economies closer to ‘normal’ than most The latest high frequency data indicate that economic activity in the Nordic economies has continued to recover in recent weeks, with trips to shops and restaurants now close to pre-crisis levels in... 12th June 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Policymakers getting their act together The latest high frequency data show that economic activity has picked up a bit in the past few weeks. Consumers have been returning to the shops and restaurants. But some sectors such as tourism and... 5th June 2020 · 13 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Denmark ahead on the long road back to normality The estimates of Q1 GDP that have been released so far have been subject to all manner of health warnings and are liable to be revised, potentially significantly, over the coming quarters. Nonetheless... 14th May 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Past the worst, but recovery slow and bumpy Governments have taken their first steps towards lifting the restrictions which caused the economy to collapse in the past few weeks. As a result, high frequency indicators show some people returning... 6th May 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Scale of the economic carnage is becoming apparent The scale of the economic damage in Switzerland and the Nordics following the imposition of draconian virus-related containment measures is becoming all too apparent. Business surveys have plunged... 8th April 2020 · 5 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Deepest downturn since WW2 The euro-zone is experiencing an unprecedented collapse in economic activity. We suspect that GDP will be roughly 25% below its pre-crisis level during the lockdowns, with the scale of devastation... 6th April 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Policy response to COVID-19 ramping up The policy landscape has changed dramatically over recent weeks and is shifting by the hour. Amid a raft of announcements in recent days, Denmark has grasped the nettle by closing schools and... 12th March 2020 · 4 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Waiting for the contagion Other than a lengthening of supplier delivery times in February, there is little evidence that the shutdown in the Chinese economy has had much impact on the euro-zone economy so far. Indeed, business... 4th March 2020 · 12 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack Coronavirus driving financial market moves The initial financial market reaction in Switzerland and the Nordics to the coronavirus followed the familiar pattern during times of uncertainty: the Swiss franc rose and Swiss bond yields tumbled on... 13th February 2020 · 10 mins read
Europe Chart Pack Coronavirus a downside risk to already weak growth The euro-zone economy ended 2019 on a weak note and the outlook for early 2020 remains gloomy. Euro-zone GDP slowed from 0.3% q/q in Q3 to 0.1% q/q in Q4, with contractions in French and Italian GDP... 5th February 2020 · 11 mins read
Nordic & Swiss Chart Pack SNB to be forced to cut interest rates again The decision by the SNB to scrap its currency ceiling five years ago coincided with it slashing interest rates to a record low to reduce the attractiveness of holding Swiss francs. Alas, this... 16th January 2020 · 10 mins read